“When you spend time with a lamb, they get so excited at seeing you and receiving bottles,” Young said. “Their tails flick around a million miles an hour. They are really just like pet dogs, but unfortunately people don't see them that way.”

As soon as Louis got a little bigger, he started racing around the acreage Young and Purcell bought earlier this year.

“He is such a kind and loving boy,” Young said. “When he sees our car come down the driveway, he sprints up to the gate to meet us. Really, lambs absolutely love human interaction, but on massive farms they so rarely receive it. So we're just glad that we can give him the love he craves.”

In Australia — as well as other parts of the world — lambs face a multitude of issues on farms, and many of them die before they get the chance to grow up. In Australia alone, it’s estimated that 15 million lambs die within 48 hours of their birth, often because they’re exposed to cold weather.

“Ashton, who is our most recent lamb, is probably taking the most room in our heart at the moment,” Young said. “He's such a dear little guy and is very vocal — he doesn't baa but he mumbles when he gets excited like he's try to talk to you.”

Raising a family of lambs hasn’t come without its challenges. Young and Purcell have had to put a lot of money into their property, building fences and installing troughs. And caring for newborns can often be a full-time job.

“During their first few weeks of life, it can be four to five bottles a day, which can make it a lot of work,” Young said. “But it works well with me being a shift worker and my fiancée sometimes works from home, so there is always someone there.”

Purcell holding Ashton, the latest lamb to join their family |
Ward Young

All of the lambs get along (some of whom are now sheep), although Louis and Lance have a particularly strong bond. “The boys absolutely just love each other's company, running around with each other, playing and eating,” Young said.

Besides the six lambs, Young and Purcell have also have two horses, Alfie and Dudley, and four rescue cats, Kitty, Alice, Clementine and Stanford. But it’s the lambs whom Young has a particularly soft spot for.